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The Kingdom of Vallenmar
The Kingdom of Vallenmar is an independent Dwarva kingdom. It is located in the northwest of Cathal and bordered by the White Sea to the North, East, and West. To the south, the kingdom if bordered by the free duchies of Ymaire and Middenlund. Vallenmar is traditionally ruled from citadel, Nikaer, by an elected monarch. The kingdom is so named for Vallenmar Long-Beard, who created the kingdom after the ancient Dwarva empire, Mana-Yaga, fell. History Unification When the humans rebelled and their armies began to conquer the other portions of the Dwarva empire, Vallenmar gathered the remaining Dwarven forces at the fortress of Evraal, the only pass into Vallenmar large enough to bring an army there. He defeated Pepin the Arrogant, king of the humans, and negotiated a peace treaty, establishing the kingdom in its current state but absolving the empire and renouncing any claims to the land. Five copies of the Treaty of Evraal were written. One was given to the Dwarva Memorium and one to the Stone Council. One was given to Pepin the Arrogant to return to the humans. One was sent to the Church of the Twelve. The final copy of the treaty was sent to the Elfish king in Celeth. Geography Settlements & Regions * Nikaer * Kahae * Evraal * Wiker * Centrumm Culture and society Vallenmar is a relatively cold region in the far northwest of Cathal, historically dominated by a highly militaristic culture that has only begun towards a wealth and trade based society. Nearly the entire society participates in ancestor worship and nobility is derived from the accomplishments of one's ancestors. Dwarva cities and society are extremely rigid by the standards of most outsiders. The Dwarva desire for simplicity and order has engendered a cultural desire for order and a rigid class system has developed. The laws of Vallenmar are strict but strangely, the enforcement of the law is often left into the hands of the citizens. Crime rates are low, due to the inherent, racial desire for order. Commerce is given little official scrutiny as long as taxes are paid; business such as brothels and gambling halls are not only tolerated, but expected. Vallenmar is the only nation to tolerate slavery. Social Tiers Modern Dwarva society is descended directly from their ancient empire and its respect for skill and ability. It is broken up into five tirrum, or rungs, and sub-tirrum. The first and highest tirrum is the nobility. They are descended directly from "paragons", Dwarva who have accomplished some incredible feat, and have the ability to inscribe sygyldry. Next is the warrior tirrum, followed by the craftsmen tirrum1. The fourth tirrum is composed of merchants and shop owners. Finally, the 5th and last tirrum is reserved for peasant-farmers. Slaves are outside the tirrum structure since they are not citizens. Religion The Dwarva are one of the few races not to believe in the Church of the Twelve Divines. Instead, the Dwarva believe their souls are absorbed into the earth when they dies and remain there to assist their living descendants. Because of this, ancestors are revered and records of ancestry are incredibly detailed. Part of this belief stems from the inability of Dwarva to channel magic, although I am unsure whether their heresy is the cause of this or if the innate disconnect led to the founding of their religion. Remarkably, the Dwarva are able to access some magical power through sygyldry, which seems to lend some credence to their beliefs. Gender and sexuality Men and women in Vallenmar are equals in the eyes of the law but their roles in society are different. Despite their fundamental conservatism, sexuality plays a large role due to the low racial birthrate. Many have theorized on this and the leading theory has something to do with the disconnect from magic. The Dwarva are expected to only marry within their tirrum. Dwarves rarely mate with other races since their contact is limited in remote Vallenmar and because of the strong racial prejudices that exist there. Female Dwarva seem to have little control over their sexuality, as their chiefest unique asset, regardless of tirrum, is their ability to bear children. Noble females are especially pressured to marry and bear children. Male nobles are expected -- even encouraged -- to be promiscuous, in order to sire as many children as possible, often with noble hunters. However, this promiscuity is frowned upon in noble women. Low tirrum females understand the value of a noble birth, which gives them agency, in a fashion, as noble hunters, who seek the sexual attention of noble males in order to advance themselves (and/or their families or 'sponsors'). Low tirrum males are in a more difficult situation, as they can only hope to sire a child with higher-tirrum women, most of whom are not in a position or do not wish to pursue affairs with them. Surnames In Vallenmar, only nobles have proper surnames, taken from their paragon ancestor. Members of the lower tirrum will occasionally have noble surnames. This either demonstrates a distant relation to a noble or that the individual has done nothing even mildly noteworthy. However, most Dwarva receive their surname from some achievement or noteworthy feature and their name can change over time. Slavery Slavery is alive and well in Vallenmar. There is some mistreatment of slaves, especially in rural region, and slaves are incentivized to fight in a colosseum. However, slaves have a certain amount of rights. It is illegal for a slave to be killed unjustly2. Slaves are paid a wage equal to one-tenth the wage of their free counterparts and there is a uniform price set for all slaves' freedom, which slaves can put their wages toward3. Some slaves are treated as well as members of the third-tirrum. Importance of Reindeer Visitors and travelers to Vallenmar are often curious about local attitudes toward Reindeer. Throughout Vallenmar, they are used as mounts, pack animals, and beasts of burden. It seems to be an innate cultural affinity, borne in part out of mythology. Reindeer are common throughout Vallenmar, although their role changes in different locations. Reindeer are kept by everyone from the king to members of the lowest tirrum. Keeping reindeer is a tradition since the times before Vallenmar, dating back to Mana-Yaga. The Dwarva initially used reindeer to travel quickly over great distances. Food & Drink Food in Vallenmar and Dwarva culture is usually described as hearty and humble, and it is not known for being particularly appetizing. "Dwarva potato" is an insult levied at Dwarva and anyone claiming to hail from Vallenmar; it presumably stems from their frequent use of potatoes. In addition to potatoes, the people of Vallenmar rely on other root vegetables, such as turnips, beets, and carrots. Some eat reindeer meat, although this is considered a luxury. Stew seems to be a particular specialty of Vallenmar and pickled eggs are seen as a delicacy. Vallenmar is also famous for it's cheeses, made from reindeer milk, and pockets of dough are often stuffed with cheese and vegetables. Drinks are where Vallenmar shines. Nearly every town has its own brewery and master brewers are highly regarded. Beer is a part of every meal, from watered down ale when working in the fields to stouter porters when smoking smoking a pipe by the fire. Brewing is certainly an art and the artists who practice the profession collaborate with one another. Annual brewing contests are held and their is a strong sub-culture related to beer. Economy Vallenmar has a strong and diverse economy. They trade in many commodities such as gold, silver, and precious metals and gemstone but they are also master craftsmen. Dwarva weapons and armor are some of the best in the world. Master craftsmen will spend a year forging and engraving a single set of weapons. Most of the people of Vallenmar are well off compared with people of other nations. Their natural resources and work ethic has developed a strong trade economy, spreading Dwarva goods throughout Cathal. Services are also a major export for Vallenmar. Dwarva builders and mercenaries are held in high regard throughout the continent and contribute to the nation's wealth. Legal System Vallenmar's law is relatively strict when compared to that of other nations, however it is still expected that on an individual level, the law will be supplemented by one's own martial prowess. The Dwarva have a strong moral code and sense of justice. Usually the law steps in when justice descends into vengeance. Most Dwarva do not involve the law unless murder or major property damage has occurred, instead turning to the head of the perpetrator's family or guild for justice. As stated previously, Slavey is legal. There are no laws regulating personal behavior such as bearing arms, prostitution, drinking, and gambling. In fact, the first two are encouraged4. Local prejudices and violence against Elfish residents occurs occasionally, this seems to be the one area where the laws are lax5. Vallenmar is policed by military units in larger settlements and by smaller traveling units in more rural areas. Each unit has an officer known as an arbiter, who serves as a judge in civil disputes. All members of the first tirrum are entitled to a trial by the king and the Stone Council in Nikaer. There are very few prisons in Dwarva lands. Generally, there are three punishments: a fine, slavery, or death. If a trial is delayed, the accused will continue their normal routine. If they run off, then their property and the property of their family is forfeit. At this point, the family falls outside of the tirrum system, roughly equivalent or lower than slaves. At this point most Dwarva families sell members of their family into slavery or exile themselves. Laws in Vallenmar regard men and women as equals, although they play different roles. Similarly, there is no law regarding who can inherit. Families usually choose an heir that seems the most capable. That being said, men and women still have different roles in society. Politics Politics in Vallenmar are complex due to three ranks of power: the monarchy, the upper council, and the lower council. It is important to know that only nobles or first tirrum members can server in any part of this hierarchy. The lower ranks play a role in electing the council members and serve as advisers. Vote buying is not uncommon. The Monarchy Vallenmar is ruled by a constitutional, elected monarchy. However, this tends to be hereditary because the monarchy grants favors in order to keep their family in power. The monarchy's power is limited by the law but in reality, this rarely hinders it. The monarchy has absolute power in foreign affairs but internally, all decisions must be approved by the stone council. In practice, most council members abstain from voting and decrees are passed without being challenged. In the Stone Council, the monarch's vote is worth 12 points. The Stone Council The Stone council is the other branch of Vallenmar's government. Nikaer, Kahae, Evraal, and Wiker all elect one high council member and three low council members, all from the first tirrum. These members are elected by citizens and serve for life. Typically older Dwarva are elected in order to keep the length of their term short. Citizens vote for council members and each citizen has three votes. They can choose to use all three to vote for one council member or spread them between three members. There will always be one council member that the citizen did not vote for. A high council member's vote is worth 3 points and a low council member's vote is worth 1 point. There are 12 points available in the high council and another 12 available in the lower council. Foreign Relations One would be hard pressed to find a people more proud of their history and accomplishments than the Dwarva of Vallenmar. They have achieved many things of great worth; their architectural feats alone are staggering. But their greatest triumphs are also long past, and their pride eclipses them. In many cases, they could benefit from an outside influence. The Dwarva of Vallenmar are xenophobic and believe there is little to be gained outside their mountain-ringed kingdom. They believe the Dwarva to be the most formidable race on Cathal and condescend to outsiders on the rare occasions when they interact. To their credit, most Dwarva can be readily convinced that some particular Human or Polder is worthy of respect based on deeds either observed or reported, but at the same time, these Dwarva will argue until their last breath that these individuals are the exception to the rule. The Free Duchies Vallenmar gets along remarkably well with Middenlund and Ymaire, the two free duchies. This is in part due to the ability of the duchies to resist Elfish incursion. They also funnel trade into Vallenmar, limiting the interaction of the Dwarva and other races. The culture of Vallenmar heavily influences the free duchies, especially Middenlund. The Celthian Empire Vallenmar and Celethia are fighting a stagnant war. While the two countries are enemies, there are no pitched battles between the two. Most fighting occurs through economic or political means. There is hope among the Dwarva that gunpowder could change the power balance in Vallenmar's favor. The Gnomes of Addic The Gnomes and the Dwarva have similar cultures in areas of technology, language, and religion. There is hope among the Dwarva that the introduction of the Gnomes to the main continent of Cathal will shift the continental power structure in their favor. Dwarva hate the popular theory that they and Gnomes are distant cousins. Other Relations Due to the xenophobic nature of Vallenmar, they have little contact with other political entities. They get along well with Polder but the Polder do not have their own nation. They don't have regular contact with most other races. Notable Figures * Vallenmar Long-beard Footnotes # It is important to note that a warrior recruit would be ranked above an apprentice craftsmen but not ranked above a master craftsman; a general or "master warrior" in our example, would rank higher than a master craftsman. Much of this depends on the current political atmosphere. # There is one exception here: slaves branded with the "dangrumm" rune can be killed at any time. Dangrumm means danger in the Dwarva language and slaves branded with that rune have been given a second chance after they should have been executed. Of course, this is "just" under Dwarva law. # In my limited experience, this is a sham. Most slave owners find a way to prevent this from ever happening. # Dwarva birthrates are low so both men and women are encouraged to be promiscuous. # This is in part encouraged by the law, which states, "Any Dwarva who kills another Dwarva in defense of an Elf has committed murder and will be punished accordingly."